Politicians in Robes? Partisan Media Framing and Public Perception of the Supreme Court (Dissertation Project)

The U.S. Supreme Court is isolated from the public, yet dependent on high levels of public support to maintain its legitimacy. Due to this distance, the media functions as a mediator between the nation’s highest court and the public. While neutral reporting would present the Court as apolitical and preserve trust in the judiciary, portraying the Supreme Court as “just another political institution”, can harm its integrity and American democracy. My PhD project seeks to explore this complex relationship between the Supreme Court, partisan media, and the public. Partisan news outlets cater to audiences with distinct ideological beliefs, reinforcing them while opposing contrary beliefs. This can lead to partisan polarization, which has previously been exclusive to the political realm. However, recent polls have also revealed an existing party gap in the Supreme Court’s level of public support. As this implies a politicization of the Court, I am interested in how partisan media frame, or portray, the Supreme Court, how the framing has evolved over the last two decades, and if there is a visible pattern when looking at public opinion polls, in particular at the bipartisan divide, and the media’s framing of the Supreme Court. The second part of the project seeks to find out, through public surveys, how the media’s reporting influences public opinion of the Court.